Guess what? I've never made "home-made" lasagna. In fact, I just happen to know that making lasagna is "hard" and "time consuming" by chance - not because I've ever experienced it. I don't even know why it's so hard. I made three batches of lasagna in the past three weeks (don't judge - I love me some pasta!) and it wasn't a hassle at all.Why three batches? Well, I … Continue reading →

When Kristofer told me his coworkers were going to bring in food on Halloween, I started ranting about how we weren't going to bring in another dessert, but would instead make a savory dish for everyone to enjoy!...then the deadline started creeping up on me, and I realized that I needed to use my Halloween cupcake liners anyway, plus Target had those fake fangs on … Continue reading →

Super moist, this delicate cake is made with fresh strawberries and topped with a cream cheese frosting.To achieve the frosting effect as pictured, look for instructions on "petal icing" a cake. I used a cake piping bag and circle tip, a regular spoon, and 2(!) containers of store-bought frosting. The frosting spreads best when chilled, otherwise you get the peaks as … Continue reading →

Here's a super easy recipe for those of us who like cottage cheese, and those of us who like peaches! Usually I'm a peaches-in-ice-cream type of gal, but since sometimes we need to eat meals other than dessert (like breakfast or an afternoon snack), I'm willing to switch it up sometimes!
Peaches with Cottage Cheese Print Author: Lauren Gray Ingredients … Continue reading →

This is one of those recipes that is so good you share it with your neighbor. Pan breaded chicken baked in a cream sauce - terrible and wonderful at the same time. This is an ideal leftover meal, as the chicken is moist and the cream sauce helps after microwaving. With a lot of flavor and texture, this is on our to-make-again list!The original recipe doesn't … Continue reading →

Still without a fridge, Kristofer and I made the most of our leftover Shredded Buffalo Chicken by purchasing some Pillsbury Breadstick dough and topping with kosher salt for our best pretzel-esque taste.Buffalo Chicken Pretzel Bites
Shredded Buffalo ChickenPillsbury Breadstick dough1 egg (beaten)Kosher salt
Heat oven to 350°FWrap chicken with small … Continue reading →

About a month into our new apartment without a fridge, Kristofer and I were having to get creative with the food we ate. Eating out all the time isn't affordable (or tasty), but frozen food (because we had a freezer) was just depressing in the amounts we had to consume it.At the very least, we ended up with a mini fridge... Which means we could keep milk, a small … Continue reading →

This is a dish that I've been making so long that I didn't even have a written recipe for it. I usually just wing it, although I'm pretty sure the first time I tried it was using a Publix recipe. Today I'm sharing it with you!Tortellini and Sausage Print Prep time 10 mins Cook time 40 mins Total time 50 mins Author: Lauren Gray … Continue reading →

There's this pin on Pinterest for a cream cheese chicken. It looks like a light, breaded chicken... And it goes into the black hole of the internet, never to reveal the true recipe. Which, in reality, is all-too-common of a Pinterest problem.The recipe below is the closest approximation I could find, and it really isn't that similar at all. While I wanted a recipe with … Continue reading →

In celebration of the upcoming Doctor Who premiere, I'm sharing some TARDIS cupcakes I made for a group viewing Kristofer and I are attending!To get a really true blue, use concentrated food coloring, often found in a gel form as made by Wilton. Kristofer and I went all the way to Michaels (not that far away) for this, but it's actually available at Walmart (even … Continue reading →

Crinkle cookies look adorable, and are so soft and chewy. :) I hadn't had any before making this recipe, but I knew that I wanted to try them - and use box mix to help me along. I'm not against home made cookies, that would be silly! I like finding short cuts though, and if I wanted a unique cookie flavor (like strawberry!) this was a fool proof plan! So a friend and I … Continue reading →

Today is just quick post that I want to share because I always have leftovers - and I like to see myself as someone who isn't wasteful. So here's how I've used some of the extra raspberry from my raspberry filled cupcakes: as a Chobani mix-in!I wasn't always a fan of Chobani, but I recently tried their lemon flavor and it's just on a whole new level for me. Since then, … Continue reading →

I've had a little extra ganache left over from a recent baking frenzy, and found there's always something new I'll eat chocolate on. This time, it's chocolate apples!Ganache is very easy to make - in it's simplest form, it is just chocolate chips, warm heavy cream, and a dash of salt. A standard batch is about 8 oz. chocolate and 1 cup heavy cream.Served warm … Continue reading →

Goooood morning! I don't mean to be a grinch here, but I'm no St. Patrick's fan. A reason for people to pinch me because I'm forgetful?? Thanks, but no thanks. I actually have a green paperclip that I wear every year, but honestly, it's just not cut out for the work. All those people who are overly excited to pinch you easily overlook the paperclip you've attached to your … Continue reading →

Ever since making those raspberry filled chocolate cupcakes, I've been dreaming about them - particularly that raspberry filling. Not too sweet, not too tart... I'm tempted to eat the stuff by the spoonfuls! I resist... partly because I suspect I'd get some very disapproving looks thrown my way, but also because I'm just sure I can use this stuff somewhere else - perhaps … Continue reading →

I love animal crackers. Sure, you can say they're bland and boring, but you won't change my mind. They're delicious in the mornings, and in the evenings, and particularly when I snack on them with various dips. Recently, I had some left over ganache in the fridge and paired that with a spoonful of Jif... the results were perfect: peanut butter chocolate animal crackers … Continue reading →

Today's 14 for the 14th is a variation on an old homemade lemonade recipe I had. It's pink lemonade though! Which is my favorite, because it's not done with any kind of dye, it's naturally a bright, bold color because of the infused raspberries. And honestly I love it. I may be biased though, because I'm a bit obsessed with raspberries.
Ingredients:2 c. sugar
2 c. … Continue reading →

Have we started noticing my trend, that I think Valentine's day is really just about me? I mean, Kristofer's great and all. But holidays are just excuses for him to be sweet to me, and me to be sweeter to me. Right? Since I love apple pie, making a bite-sized apple pie rose seems like an obvious choice for dessert. Sugar, cinnamon, delicious crust-carbs. I just can't go … Continue reading →

I am especially pleased with myself for today's 14 for the 14th: delicious raspberry filled cupcakes given that extra love with a red velvet color. Yes, I slaved away over these in the kitchen. No, they aren't actually all that hard. Especially when I give you the best time-saving instructions ever. My trial and error is your perfect cupcake!
Ingredients:For the … Continue reading →

The first time I ever tried risotto was in Ireland, when I went to see Giant's Causeway! Um, YUM. I ordered it again and again during my time abroad, even suffering through some really strong mushrooms in Paris. So here's a date night suggestion: cheesy risotto for two.Ingredients1 tbs olive oil
1 medium chopped onion
salt and pepper
4 cups chicken … Continue reading →

Kristofer and I are keeping up with his advent calendar - so far we've made christmas crafts (wine bottles with lights), decorated our tree (it's tiny), watched a movie together (he chose a horror movie...), and gone to see Christmas lights (which actually was a little bit of a lie - there were hardly any lights)! Yesterday, we made Santa hat Christmas cookies, using the … Continue reading →

First, I need to take just two minutes to share my story about these panda cookies. I found them on pinterest. They linked to one of those horrible sites where images are compiled, but not sourced. I ran a google search. And found this gem. Crazily enough, she mentions in her video she'll post a link with it, and this link? Is the source for the pin I had found! Which, … Continue reading →

I think it's normal for children to dread what their mother's prepare for them. I mean, my mother used to think calling red peppers "candies" would magically make me like them. Only most children outgrow this. And I've rather grown into it. Instead, I'd prefer to share in the kids meals with my 9 and 10-year-old siblings. Until. This. The Avocado, Chicken, and Chick Pea … Continue reading →

You know what I've been noticing recently? That about half of the desserts I want to make recently have called for sweetened condensed milk. Unfortunately, I totally forgot to add it to this recipe... Smores Dip: bananas with chocolate, peanut butter, and fluff!Remember how I mentioned this on Saturday? How I fulfilled my Friday chocolate quota with this awesome … Continue reading →

When I was just getting into my Pinterest account, and bored to tears at my father's house, I was cooking up a snack daily. For some reason, I was convinced I loved Spinach. I mean, it is delicious on pizza!! You know what it's not great in? Spinach crescent rolls. I will give them that they are fun to make!They were pretty easy to make! I changed up the original … Continue reading →

If you follow my personal blog (and let's be honest, there's only about 4 people who do so there isn't a huge likelihood) you know I was in some serious need of caramel & chocolate last Friday. Well, I've been wanting to make my own batch of these delicious caramel chocolate saltine toffees my friend Tori brought to a meeting once, and Anie totally supported me doing … Continue reading →

Did you know that Pillsbury makes pizza crust? YUM. You literally just roll it out, add your toppings, and stick it in the oven. My father and I made a plain jane pizza, you can seen some awkward photos here!My father realizing we need to move the pizza from a baking sheet to a cookie tray in order to get it crispier!
Ingredients:Pillsbury Thin-Crust … Continue reading →

Friday should be amazing. Always. So when I woke up tired, went to work tired, sat through an interview tired, and took the slowest bus home tired, I was pretty cranky. (And cranky needs to be read in the most whiney voice. If you know Sara, please read it in her voice.) The fix? All day watching Bones (I'm SO far from exaggerating) and a huge piece of caramel cake.I … Continue reading →

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